Opposites Attract

coffee aside. “Ty always said so. Mom, when they got back together, I was so guilty and frightened. Then I was relieved. And now, I can tell something’s gone wrong again.” As she had as a child, Jess gave her mother a long, pleading look. “What should I do?”
    Strange, Ada mused, that her children wanted to pamper her on one hand, thrusting dishwashers and fancy jewelry on her, while on the other, they still looked to her for all the answers. “You’ll have to talk to both of them,” Ada said briskly. “Then you’ll have to back off and let the two of them work it out. You might be able to heal what you did three years ago, but you can do nothing about what’s between them now.”
    “If they love each other—”
    “You made a decision for them once,” Ada pointed out. “Don’t make the same mistake again.”
    ***
    She hadn’t been able to sleep. She hadn’t been able to eat. Only the promise she had made to herself never to quit again forced Asher onto the court. Purposely she remained in the dressing room until the last moment to avoid the fans who wandered the walkways and mingled with players. It would take more effort than she could have summoned to smile and make small talk.
    When she came outside the humidity hit her like a fist. Shaking off the weakness, Asher went directly to her chair. She heard the applause, but didn’t acknowledge it. She couldn’t afford to. Even before she began, Asher knew her biggest problem would be concentration.
    Her arms ached, her whole body ached and she felt bone-deep exhausted. Pain was something she could ignore once the match was under way, but she wasn’t sure she could ignore the jellied weakness inside her, the feeling that someone had punched a yawning hole in the center of her life. Still wearing her warm-up jacket, she took a few experimental swings.
    “Asher.” Cursing the interruption, she glanced over at Chuck. Concern touched his eyes as he stepped toward her. “Hey, you don’t look good. Are you sick?”
    “I’m fine.”
    He studied the shadowed eyes and pale cheeks. “Like hell.”
    “If I come out on the court, I’m well enough to play,” she returned, exchanging one racket for another. “I’ve got to warm up.”
    Baffled, Chuck watched her stalk onto the court. It took only a moment of study to see that she wasn’t in top form. Chuck moved away to find Ty.
    He was in the showers, his eyes closed under the spray. He’d been curt and brief with the press and even briefer with his colleagues. He wasn’t in the mood for congratulations. Anger lay curled inside him, undiminished by the physical demands he had placed on himself. He needed more—a sparring match, a marathon run—anything to pump the poison out of his system. Though he heard Chuck call him, Ty remained silent and kept his eyes shut.
    “Ty, will you listen to me? Something’s wrong with Asher.”
    Taking his time, Ty stepped back so that the water beat on his chest. Slowly he opened his eyes. “So?”
    “So?” Astonished, Chuck gaped at him. “I said something’s wrong with Asher.”
    “I heard you.”
    “She looks sick,” Chuck continued, certain that Ty didn’t comprehend. “I just saw her. She shouldn’t be playing today. She looks awful.”
    Ty fought the instinctive need to go to her. He could remember vividly the scene the night before. With a flick of the wrist he shut off the shower. “Asher knows what she’s doing. She makes her own decisions.”
    Too stunned to be angry, Chuck stared at him. He’d never seen Ty look cold any more than he’d ever seen Asher look furious. Until today. “What the devil’s going on here?” he demanded. “I just told you your woman’s sick.”
    Ty felt the tightening in his belly and ignored it. “She’s not my woman.” Grabbing a towel, he secured it lightly around his waist.
    After dragging a hand through his hair, Chuck followed Ty into the locker room. He’d known since that morning when he and Ty had practiced together that something was wrong. Accustomed to his friend’s mercurial moods, he had dismissed it, assuming Ty and Asher had had a lover’s quarrel. But no lover’s quarrel would make Ty indifferent to Asher’s health.
    “Look, if you two have had a fight, that’s no reason—”
    “I said she’s not my woman.” Ty’s voice was deadly calm as he pulled on jeans.
    “Fine,” Chuck snapped. “Then if the field’s clear, I might just try my luck.” He was slammed back